“In our vast search-driven Web, visual design can help people move beyond first impressions and into meaningful interactions.” – Luke Wroblewski
Read Luke’s article “Communicate Quick: First Impressions Through Visual Web Design,” published by UIE.
Somebody made a decision about everything. And it was a design decision.
“The most common misperception is the word ‘design’. People think of primarily pretty pictures or forms. They don’t understand the depth to which design goes—not only in products, but in every aspect of our life. Whether it is the design of a program, a product or some form of communication, we are living in a world that’s totally designed. Somebody made a decision about everything. And it was a design decision.” – Sam Farber
Sam Farber is the founder of Copco, OXO, and Wovo. Quote retrieved from this collection of design related quotes.
Leaders must become experience executives
“Executives can no longer afford to formulate strategy without embracing user experience, and to the extent their offerings include web sites, software products, and interactive services, these leaders (or their successors) must understand the complex interplay between strategy, scope, structure, semantics, skeleton, and surface. They must become experience executives, in concept if not in name.” – Peter Morville
Read Peter’s article “User Experience Strategy” here.
Treat your audience less like a faceless user and more like a human being
“The principles of good human-to-computer interface design are simplicity, support, clarity, encouragement, satisfaction, accessibility, versatility, and personalization. While it’s essential to heed these, it’s also important to empathize with and inspire your audience so they feel you’re treating them less like a faceless user and more like a human being.” – Sharon Lee
Read Sharon’s article “Human-to-Human Design” or check out two other quotes from this article: “Your site can encapsulate your brand personality” and “Rich, sensory experiences immerse users and lead to joy and satisfaction.”
Designers need to be more than ambassadors
“Designers need to be more than ambassadors, they need to be fully functioning and fully aware members of strategic decision-making teams in a company.” – Nathan Shedroff
Read Kate Rutter’s interview with Nathan Shedroff for more thoughts on the role of design in business.
Edit: Fixed article URL – sorry about that
Users pursue their own interest and reject whatever the site tries to push
“Users want to construct their own experience by piecing together content from multiple sources, emphasizing their desires in the current moment. People arrive at a website with a goal in mind, and they are ruthless in pursuing their own interest and in rejecting whatever the site is trying to push.” – Jakob Nielsen
Read Jakob’s article “Writing Style for Print vs. Web” for his thoughts on how writing for the web requires a distinct content style.